The beginning of something new
by forevermee
Summary: Haley just found out she's pregnant. She doesn't know what to do and she's only seventeen. Nathan knows nothing about it. Not yet any ways. What will his reaction be? Will he turn away and focus on his dream? Based on season four.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

Haley couldn't breathe as she held the pregnancy test in her shaking hand. She was still in high school, still seventeen. She couldn't be pregnant. Oh god no! Nathan was just getting his game back after the accident which put his uncle in a coma. He'd freak once she'll tell him the news. "What am I going to do?" she whispered. She naturally placed her hand on her belly. Haley looked up into the mirror; she could feel the tears prickle behind her eyes. _Am I supposed to be happy? _She thought. Yeap she was going to cry.

Nathan just came back from his early morning run and opened his apartment which he shared with his wife Haley. "Hales?" he called. "Haley?" He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cereal. Nathan could hear the faint sound of crying coming from the bathroom. He put down his bowl and made his way towards it. He knocked lightly, "Haley what's wrong? Is everything okay?" He could hear her sniffing behind the other side of the door. "Everything's fine." He wasn't buying that.

"C'mon open the door."

"Just give me a minute." Haley made sure she wrapped the test in toilet paper and then shoved it in her robe that was wrapped around her body. She picked up all the tissues that was scattered across the floor and did the same with those too. _I can't tell him. Not right now. How could this happen?_ She took a minute to compose herself and then she opened the door.

Nathan saw the tear stricken Haley standing in the doorway of the bathroom. "Oh Haley," he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Baby what's wrong?" Haley couldn't contain it any longer, she sobbed on his hard muscled chest, his long strong arms wrapped around her. "I'm just not feeling well that's all. I'm going to get ready for school. You should probably take a shower." She pulled out of the hug and tried to smile up at him. Nathan wiped away a tear the escaped the corner of her eye. "If you're not feeling well you should probably stay at home. I'll come around lunch to check up on you."

"Yeah that would be great. Can you tell Brooke to instead? I just need to talk to her that's all. School stuff, English in particular."

"Whatever you need Hales." He kissed her lightly on her forehead then made his way around her so that he could take a shower.

20 minutes later…

"I'm off. I'll see you after school okay?" Nathan swang his back pack over his shoulder and grabbed the keys from the kitchen counter. Haley stood up from the couch and went to kiss him good bye. "Have fun at school today. Third period won't be the same without me." she joked. Nathan leaned down to kiss her. "What if I stay home with you?" Haley took a step back. Panic was streaked all over her face. If he was with her the entire day, she would be tempted to tell him what she just discovered. "Haley I was just kidding. Relax you look like you just saw a ghost." He kissed her again and made his way out the door.

This was good. Haley would have time to herself and think things through. She made the decision of telling Brooke and she would wait until she heard her opinion about the situation. "Brooke, please don't freak out."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

"Nathan!" Lucas called from across the parking lot. He was wearing a black shirt with dark blues jeans. He's dark blonde hair was messy and quite frankly, it looked like he just got out of bed. "Where's Hales?"

"She's sick man, I told her to stay at home."

Brooke approached happily from her car. She linked arms with Lucas, "Hi boyfriend," she greeted. "Where's tutor girl?" She looked awfully cheerful. Wearing a white tank top, jeans and a denim jacket she tugged on her backpack. "Apparently she's sick." Lucas said a matter-of-factly.

"Speaking of Haley, she wants you to check up on her at lunch. Something about English."

"Who me?"

"No, Brooke."

"As I was her maid of honour at her wedding, I would be more than happy to visit. Typical of her, I can't believe I'm going back to skip lunch just so she can talk to me about English." She sighed while flicking her hair over her shoulder. The bell rang and the three of them headed off to homeroom…

Haley was taking a nap in the lounge. She draped a blanket over herself so that she wouldn't get cold and she left the television on.

Brooke knocked lightly at the front door, _I wish I had a place to myself. I wouldn't have to be living with Rachel. _She moaned as the thought crossed her mind. Her and Peyton haven't really been on speaking terms lately. She saw Haley looking tired. "Hey buddy, how's it going?"

"Come inside." She held the door open so that Brooke could come in.

"Nathan said you weren't feeling well. And that you wanted me to come here because of some English thing."

"I'm feeling much better than this morning." Haley enveloped her arms around herself. How was she going to tell Nathan if she couldn't even tell Brooke?

"Okay so what about English?" Brooke dropped her school bag on the floor near the couch and took a seat crossing her legs on top of each other. Haley sat down beside her.

"It's not about English Brooke."

"I'm not following… If it's not about English what is it about then? Because Nate's been bragging about how worried he is about you. I need to report back to him so – "

"It's not about English!" Haley cut Brooke off before she could finish her sentence. "I'm sorry…" She fiddled with her hands at her sudden outburst.

"Haley, what's going on? Is everything okay with you and Nathan? Has he done something to upset you?" Brooke was getting worried by the minute. Haley didn't meet her gaze and Brooke knew that whenever she stalled it was something big. "Haley tell me. Please. I'm one of you best friends, whatever it is I promise I won't tell anyone. Not even Lucas. You can trust me." She placed a reassuring hand on Haley's arm.

Haley took a deep breath to calm her. _I can do this. Tell her Haley, do it, she promised. _"You have to swear not to tell anybody, not Lucas especially not Nathan."

"What's go – "

"Swear it." Haley prompted anxiously. She needed her to say that she was going to keep it to herself.

"It's in the vault."

"I'm pregnant."

Brooke's jaw dropped and she covered her mouth with both hands. "Oh my God!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"Haley! That's great. Ohmygosh I should start designing clothes for the baby. I really hope it's a girl. Wouldn't that be amazing?" Brooke hugged her tightly almost suffocating her. "I'm so happy for you guys." She was smiled proudly. The power couple in their group was going to have a baby… But reality stuck her once she realised Haley wasn't sharing the same enthusiasm. "Oh no, please don't tell me…"

"No I'm not!" Haley confirmed. "I would never do that. What am I going to do Brooke? Nathan's heading off to Duke and I might be going to Stanford. That's what we've always talked about. This baby is going to change everything…" She started to cry, yet again. _Am I already experiencing baby hormones? I've cried so much today. Probably, you already have a different sleeping pattern. _

Brooke sat there not knowing what to say. Poor Haley. Poor Nathan, he doesn't have a clue! Instead she just hugged her. "It's going to be okay Hales. We'll take it one step at a time. Have you already gone to see the doctor?" Haley pulled back, "No not yet, I'm too scared to go by myself."

Brooke bit her lip, "You go get dressed and we'll go together."

"What about school?" Haley asked.

"It's not as if I've never skipped school before. Besides I went to homeroom, they recorded my attendance." She shrugged her shoulders and beckoned Haley towards the bedroom so she could get changed.

"Are you ready!" Brooke yelled.

"Coming!" Haley quickly came out of the bedroom. One minute she was fine and then she dashed to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet bowl. Brooke came inside and held her hair back from her face.

"You're already getting morning sickness. Did this happen before?"

"No, that's the thing. I didn't see the signs that I was pregnant besides me missing my period. That's when I went to get the pregnancy test." She vomited more, Brooke turned away from the sight. "Are you finished?" Haley nodded and Brooke helped her up. "I'll brush my teeth and we'll get going."

"All right. I'll be waiting at the door."

They finally made it in the car, Haley leaned her head against the head rest. Brooke slid into the driver's seat and backed out the cub. "If you need to puke let me know okay? I am not going to risk it getting on the floor." Haley laughed half-heartedly.

"I will let you know. I don't really feel like I need to at the moment."

"I just have to say that I can't believe you're going to have a baby! With Nathan! She's going to look so cute. Or a he. Imagine if it was a boy," Brooke's eyes widened. "He could be like a little Nathan Scott. What if he took an interest in basketball? Wouldn't that be adorable? Him and Nathan at the River Court."

Haley smiled at the thought of having a son. A little replica of Nathan. "That would be adorable." She agreed.

"Lucas would be stocked to find out that he was going to be an uncle. Nathan a father." Brooke laughed. "No offence but I never really thought of Nathan as a dad."

"Me either. But then again I never really thought about becoming a mother at this age too. This wasn't in the plan Brooke. Later down the track maybe but not right now."

"Wait until Dan finds out." Brooke pointed.

"Crap! I didn't think about him."

"You can't hide it from people forever Hales. You're going to start showing in a few months, what's your excuse then?"

"I know I know. We'll just see what the doctor says."

"And Haley?" She looked up to meet Brooke's gaze. "I think Nathan deserves to know. The longer you put it off the more it's going to hurt him afterwards."

"I know. I really appreciate you driving me here Brooke." Brooke patted her thigh. "It'll be okay Haley. Everything's going to be okay."

At the hospital…

"Please take a seat in the waiting room and wait for your name to be called." The lady behind the reception table smiled then went back to assisting the other people in the line. Brooke took a magazine and started flicking through it. Haley sat uncomfortably with her legs crossed. Her eyes wondered along the walls and fell on the section where they placed brochures and pamphlets. There were ones about taking PAP smears and What do to if you caught the flu. But then her eyes caught the attention of a family holding a new born baby. She sighed heavily.

"Haley Scott." Dr. Wilson announced. Brooke and Haley got up and made their way into the small room. He closed the door and told them to take a seat. "What seems to be the problem?" Haley felt as if she was repeating the news already. "I think I might be pregnant."

"Oh," he said. "Have you already done a home pregnancy test?" Haley nodded. "Okay we'll run some tests to help confirm it. I'll be right back." Brooke grabbed her hand and Haley squeezed it tight. "I'm right here Hales. I won't go anywhere."

They ran their tests on her and the longer it took, the more Haley felt like a lab rat caged in a testing facility. "Haley."

"Yes?"

"You're definitely pregnant." She already knew that, but this just made it more real. More set in stone. "You're about 6 weeks in," That would explain her missing her period. "Here's some information on what your new diet needs to be in order to have a healthy baby."

"Doctor Wilson. Why didn't I have any symptoms before? Why did it take 6 weeks?"

"That happens nearly too every woman. Sometimes the body is still getting ready to help prepare for the baby. That's what your body is doing. May I ask where the father is?"

"He's at school…" she whispered lowly.

"I'm the best friend." Brooke interjected. "I drove her here."

"That was very thoughtful." He smiled. "Haley this is pretty big news. Mayor Scott would be ecstatic to hear that he'll be going to have a little grandchild on the way. But considering the circumstances you're only seventeen. Have you considered about other options?"

"Yes I have." Like she hasn't already thought about the 'options' after Nathan left to go to school this morning. That was why she fell asleep in the first place. Haley was too overwhelmed with all of it so as soon as she laid her head down, it didn't take long for sleep to come to her.

"We better head off then. Thank you for your time Dr. Wilson." Brooke said.

"Yes, thank you." Haley shook his hand grateful for his service and time.

"If you need anything come by and we'll see how everything's going. You should probably tell Nathan soon your ultra sound is scheduled two weeks from now."

Haley nodded. "Thanks for letting me know. Don't worry I'll tell him. We'll be here."

"Wonder why Brooke's not here yet." Nathan was getting concerned. It was period five and she wasn't there. Haley was right, third period did suck without her.

"I'll call her." Lucas was starting to worry too. How long did it take just for Haley to talk to Brooke about a school subject? He pulled out his cell from his pocket and speed dialled Brooke.

"Hi you've reached Brooke Davis. The one and only. You know what to do. Beep!"

"Voice mail." Lucas gave Nathan a half-smile. "I'm sure they're fine. What could possibly happen?"

"That was Lucas." Brooke checked he missed calls on her cell. "I feel bad."

"How on earth do you think I feel?"

"Sooorrryyy."

"Urgh! I can't handle this." Haley was getting aggravated and she really didn't mean to take it out on her. They both were in the car heading back to the apartment.

"Of course you can. C'mon! You're Haley James Scott. If you can pass Calculus you can do this too." Count on Brooke to be the positive one.

"I'm going to have to tell Nathan aren't I?"

"Sorry to have to break it to you tutor girl, but yeah you're going to have to." Haley ran he hands through her hair. Tonight she'll tell him. No excuses.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

When the girls pulled up at the curb of the apartment, they were shocked to see Nathan's car parked outside. "School hasn't even finished yet." Brooke said.

"Is Lucas with him?"

"I don't know."

She counted to three and said, "Only one way to find out. Let's go." Haley wanted to sound brave, but she didn't feel it. She needed to tell Nathan. But how? Her legs felt like jelly as she made her way to the door. Brooke felt so bad for her. She remembered when Lucas and her had a pregnancy scare the first time they started dating. She was glad she wasn't carrying a baby in her arms right now. There was a lot of responsibility confided into such a small thing. She knew what Haley was going through. Haley fumbled with her keys so that she could open the door.

Nathan heard a car slamming from outside. He went to the blinds and peeked out the window. "They're here. Finally!" he said under his breath. He opened the door before Haley could turn the key. "Where have you been?" Lucas demanded.

"Well, excuse you. I drove Haley to the doctors she wasn't fit enough to drive! Why aren't you guys still at school?" Brooke walked into the room with her hands on her hips. He was never that overprotective.

"Sorry, we were just worried. Brooke didn't show so I thought something bad happened. What did the doctor say?" Nathan said shyly. Haley and Brooke looked at each other. Oh if Haley could talk to her telepathically, that would be a blessing in disguise.

"He said that I'll be fine in a couple of days. See you got worked up over nothing." Oh lord!

"Okay well. Lucas and I have to go now. We'll leave you guys to it." Brooke grabbed Lucas' arm and tugged him out the door.

"See you later!" Haley called out before they left completely. The two waved good bye.

"Do you want something to eat?" Nathan asked.

Her tummy gave a growl in agreement "Yes please." She blushed and suddenly felt like he knew something else was going on.

"I'm just going to take a bath."

Nathan was waiting for the water to heat up so the he could cook the spaghetti. He leaned against the kitchen island and saw the letters piled there. He picked them up and quickly flicked through them, there was one from Duke University. Nathan didn't expect to hear from them that soon. He ripped open the envelope and skimmed the information. **"Congratulations! We would like to formally congratulate you, as you have been handpicked to be in the Class of 2012. We look forward to seeing you at orientation." **

He read it twice before it finally settled in him. "YES! I made it!" Nathan yelled. By the time he finished reading it the water was already boiling, he carefully added the spaghetti. Nathan couldn't wipe the grin on his face; he couldn't wait to tell Haley. "Hear that Dan. I made it!"

Haley came out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. "Mmm… Smells really nice." She pulled her wet hair into a messy bun. Nathan went to kiss her. "What was that for?"

"Why? Can't I kiss my beautiful wifey?"

"You most certainly can." She flung her arms around his neck and pulled him close so that she could give him another kiss. Nathan smiled handsomely. "Can you grab the plates?"

"Yes chief."

They ate dinner at the coffee table while watching the NBA game.

"Let me get that for you." Haley handed him her plate and got more comfortable on the couch. _You're going to have to tell him. _Nathan came back and sat next to her, he pulled her towards him and Haley rested her head on his chest. It took her a few minutes to build up the confidence to grab his attention away from the game. "Nathan?"

"Hmm…"

"I need to tell you something." Haley looked up at him, his eyes were still on the t.v. "Nathan…" She used the 'listen to me' tone. He grabbed the remote and switched it off.

_Oh boy. It's now or never Haley. _"What is it?"

"You know I went to the doctor's right?" He nodded slowly.

"What's wrong?" Haley could see the genuine concern in his dark green eyes. It pained her to see him like this. Nope, no excuses.

"Nothing's wrong."

"I don't believe you." _She said that she was fine. Why would she lie in front of Lucas if she wasn't? Brooke knows something's wrong… _"Tell me," he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Please? Don't say nothing's wrong. You've always been a terrible liar." That was so true! "If you don't tell me I'll go to Brooke." Was that a threat? Brooke wouldn't tell, she swore an oath - a best friend oath might she add - she breathed in and exhaled shakily. It was a force of habit to help calm her down.

"I love you so much Nathan and I would never do anything to hurt you…" He saw the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. What the hell was going on! "Haley…" She started to cry and Nathan instantly hugged her like he did this morning.

"I'm so sorry." Haley wiped the tears away with her palms. "I never meant for this to happen."

"Never meant to make what happen?" She cried even harder. _Tell him Haley. He needs to know…_

"I'm pregnant." Nathan's arm tensed around her. _Did he hear her right?_

"What?"

"We're pregnant." There was no mistaking those two words.

Haley withdrew from the embrace so she could see his reaction. That was the thing, he wasn't reacting. "Nathan, please say something. Anything."

How could he? Most teenage boys didn't get married at sixteen and now he was going to be a father. A baby on the way and he was only seventeen. How the hell did this happen? She was on the pill and… no wait, that night they got back together… Shit!

"How are you feeling?"

Haley was taken aback. She predicted a hundred scenarios but that wasn't one of them. "Ah… I'm okay I guess. I've thrown up a couple of times but that only started today." He pursed his lips together and nodded.

"When did you find out?"

"This morning when you came back from your run."

Nathan finally looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me this morning? I knew you were lying before but you said you were fine so I just brushed it off." Now this is how Haley pictured it.

"I didn't want to worry you. I knew you would react this way and I wanted to be one hundred per cent sure that I was pregnant. Can you imagine if I wasn't?"

"Yeah but you are Hales." He said harshly.

Haley closed her eyes and then opened them. "Yeah I am."

"What did the doctor say?"

"He said that I'm about 6 weeks." 6 weeks! Already? That was almost two months out of the total of nine. Nathan shook his head at the reality of it. Both Haley and him were always careful with protection when they made love. They've sat in countless Phs. Ed classes together where they taught about teenage pregnancy. He certainly didn't think he was going to end up as one.

"Are you going to keep it?"

Haley blinked. Did he actually consider aborting the baby? "Yes I am." Nathan got up and ran is hand through his hair.

"How did this happen? We're always so careful with these things. This is unbelievable. What are we going to do? We only just got renewed our vows. I… I… can't deal with this. I'm so sorry." Haley could feel him slipping away.

"Yes you can. Nathan please," she pleaded. "We're in this together. You and me." But Nathan didn't hear her. He was too caught in his own emotions to realize that his wife was still in the room. He grabbed the basketball that was near the door. Haley didn't know what to do. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know. I need some time to myself. I feel like I'm suffocating in here." With that he was out the door before Haley could stop him and he didn't look back.

Haley felt so alone, she knew better than to even hope that Nathan would be happy for the two of them. They were going to have a family. But the worse thing was, Nathan thought about terminating the pregnancy. She had to admit, she thought about it as well but she would never go through with it. She couldn't help it, she cried so hard and it felt like all she did today was cry. Haley knew then and there that whatever happened she was going to raise the baby, with or without Nathan.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

With nowhere else to go, Nathan ended up at the river court. It always seemed better to come here at night rather than during the day. His mind wondered off to the first time he played here, it was the one on one battle with Lucas. Nearly everyone who attended Tree Hill made an effort to come at midnight just to see the show. Brother against brother. So Nathan wasn't surprised to see Lucas shooting hoops. His signature grey hoodie and track pants were what he always wore when he came here. This was Lucas' second home; you would almost always find him here, either by himself or with the guys. Obviously oblivious to Nathan bouncing his ball, it looked like Lucas was listening to his iPod.

Nathan threw it aiming for his head; Lucas stumbled but caught his balance. He ripped his earphones out and turned around. With and expression that said, 'What the hell?' he aimed for Nathan's torso, he chucked it hitting Nathan's side. He tried to dodge it but that practically never worked considering Lucas was point guard in their school basketball team.

"I'm sorry."

"Damn right you should be. That hurt!" Lucas rubbed the back of his head while going to retrieve the balls that were rolling away from him. "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be with Haley?" Nathan's mood changed.

"I needed time away."

"Ah-huh… Okay well you have two options little brother, you either tell me what's going on or I'm gonna have to hurt you."

Nathan smirked, "Did Brooke tell you anything after you left from my apartment?"

"No, why would she?"

Nathan sighed heavily. "Haley's pregnant."

Lucas eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, that's big."

"Tell me about it." He said under his breath.

"Ah, congrats man," Lucas and Nathan clasped the hands together and hugged in a very brotherly way.

"Thanks I guess."

"How's Haley dealing with it?"

"She hasn't said it yet but I think she's as scared as I am. She wants to keep the baby…"

"Of course she's scared and of course she wants to keep the baby. We're talking about Haley here. Odds are she already thought about it. Why are you so worked up for?"

Nathan looked at his older brother with an appalled expression. "Why am I so worked up? You're really going to ask me that question Luke? Me and Haley are only seventeen." He threw is hands up in the air to help make his point. "We're in so much financial debt that I don't think we'll be able to afford half the things the baby needs. How are we going to look after it when we can't even afford our rent each fortnight? What about college huh? Did you know that I got accepted into Duke?"

_Nathan got accepted into Duke? _ "You did? Does Haley know?"

"No she doesn't. And I really don't think she needs to, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Of course it matters Nate. Everything matters." Lucas grabbed hold of Nathan's shoulder. "If you really want to do any good, you need to get back to Haley. She's probably sitting at home crying her heart out because you walked out on her. Whether you like it or not, Haley's going to give birth to that baby. It's a whole new ball game. Be the guy Haley knows you are she won't be disappointed I promise you."

Nathan shook his head, it was easier said than done. When Haley told him that he was going to be a father, it took so much self-control not to bolt out of the room. "I just don't know what to say to her when I get back?"

"Duh? Tell her that you're sorry and that you love her and that you're going be there for both her and the baby."

Nathan nodded. He could do this, Haley was the love of his life and to be honest he couldn't find any other woman he would be happier to have a child with. "I don't think I'll be able to raise a kid the way Dan did… That guy put me in so much hell."

"Hey, but look at the way we turned out, we're actually having a proper conversation. I swear if this happened last year we'd be down at each-other's throats." They laughed. "If you do end up like Dan I'll knock some sense into you."

"Gee thanks." Nathan said sarcastically.

"I can't imagine what Haley's going through." Nathan winced because he could. He and Haley have been living with each other for less than a year and he could already read her like an open book. Before he walked out the door Nathan could sense that she was trying not to break down and cry. She bravely watched as he left in a fit of anger.

"I should probably start heading back. I don't want her to think that I'm not going to be there in the morning."

Lucas handed him back his ball. "You'll be fine. Brooke and I are here if you need us. My little brother's turning into a man." He couldn't help but ruffle his hair.

"Yeah yeah." Nathan started at the direction he came from and Lucas went back to shooting hoops.

Haley laid on the bed her and Nathan slept in, she looked at the silver wedding band that was placed on her wedding finger. It felt like forever ago, but that day was still so fresh in her mind. The fabric on her skin felt light and loose and it was courtesy of 'Clothes over Bros' by Brooke Davis. Her small little business was only starting up. She remembered Brooke smiling proudly as she zipped Haley's wedding dress up for her. "Perfect," she said. The way Lucas was so willing to walk her down the aisle and give her away in front of all their closest friends. Unfortunately Haley's parents couldn't make it due to apparently already attending their first wedding. Nevertheless they still sent their love and happiness to the happy couple.

But what she remembered the most was the way Nathan looked at the end of the aisle. She couldn't wait to stand next to him, to hold his hand and to finally say I do all over again. His smile was absolutely breathtaking and she could have honestly ran up to him and kiss those beautiful lips. She didn't care if the entire audience laughed at her, all she wanted was Nathan. So when it was time to say I do, she threw her arms around his neck and they kissed passionately. Haley could hear their family and friends applauding and whistling, there was no denying that unmistakable love they had for each other.

"Forever and always…" She bit back the tears she fought so hard to control. After escaping to the holiday house Rachel owned, she really thought that the spark in their relationship came back. "I don't ever want to lose you Haley. If anything ever happened to you or to me, I never want us to go through what Karen is." Now that seemed like forever ago...

"Haley?" She was pulled out of her trance.

"Nathan?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**Here's another chapter! I've been having writer's block lately... But I'll try my best to update regularly from now on. Read an review like always, excuse my poor proof reading. If you have any suggestions let me know, it will give me inspiration. For those of you who have just joined us, welcome. Enjoy reading guys!

**Chapter 6:**

Nathan stood in the doorway that led into the bedroom. There was several minutes before either of them spoke to one another. He sighed and made his way towards the bed. Haley sat up and put her hands on her lap, she stood still once she noticed what Nathan was doing. He reached out to touch her hand, it was small and soft like it always was.

He swallowed before he spoke. "Haley, I'm sorry I left the way I did. I know how much it must have hurt you to see me like that. It's just," Nathan paused to better phrase his sentence. "… It's just all of this is so unexpected. I keep thinking that we'll be waking up tomorrow and this would be a dream. But deep down, I really hope it isn't because the truth is… I am so happy that we're going to be a real family. You, me and the baby. Our baby. And no matter what happens I'll be here for you. Always and forever." He tilted her chin so that they were both looking at each other. "I'll step up and be the best husband and father I possibly can. He's going to have the best mother any kid could ever have. Everything's going to be okay, I promise. And believe me when I tell you that I couldn't be any happier. I love you."

Haley couldn't breathe, she sat there listening to Nathan give his little speech. It was so sweet and romantic; she loved how he said that it was "their baby." Haley could swear she felt her belly do back flips when he said that. She smiled to herself unaware that a single tear slid down her cheek. Out of habit, Nathan quickly wiped it away with his thumb. But Haley pulled him into a tight embrace and Nathan wrapped his arms around her small body. He breathed in the feminine scent she always carried. "I love you too Nathan," she said. "I'm so scared."

"Me too. Don't worry we'll work through this like we've always had. We'll be fine. We have Lucas and Brooke and hey, Karen and my mum's been through this, being pregnant I mean. I'm sure they'll give us some advice right?" Haley nodded in the crook of Nathan's neck, while he gently rubbed her back.

"What about school?" Nathan bit his bottom lip. "I think we should keep it to ourselves for a little while, tell our family first and then work our way on to telling everyone else."

"That seems like a good way to go," she stifled a yawn.

Nathan laughed quietly, "Looks like someone's tired."

"I know. Can you believe it's only been twenty-four hours?"

He arched an eyebrow it felt like an entire week just flew by. "No I can't believe that."

Haley laid back down and Nathan got ready for bed. Once he laid down beside her, Haley cuddled closer and Nathan put his arm behind her head. "Nathan?"

"Hmm…" Haley could feel the vibration of his voice travel to her ears.

"I have something else to tell you."

"What's that?"

"Uhmm… Dr. Wilson made an appointment for an ultra sounds two weeks from today. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to see our baby for the first time. It'll have to be after school and I know you have basketball training…" she trailed off at the end, she knew how much the sport meant to him.

"Of course I'll come. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Nathan kissed the top of her head and Haley drifted off to sleep.

Nathan couldn't help but grin as he heard Haley snore lightly; she must have been really exhausted. He couldn't help but think about the future. They were going to have a baby, a small living being. One that drooled and pooped and peed like there was no tomorrow. What they needed was financial security. Nathan would need to find a job, like now. He would have to work twice as hard to gain a scholarship because let's face it, the tuition fee for Duke is way out of their reach. Then there was the thought of Haley going to Stanford. He would never leave, especially now that she was pregnant.

He shook his head, careful to not wake up Haley. _You've got to do what's best Nathan; you're going to have to ask him for help. _The little voice in the back of his head just kept repeating that sentence over and over again. With that, exhaustion over took him and he was fast asleep too.

The young couple have been through their fair share of drama; Haley vowed to never go on tour with a guy named Chris Keller again! And Nathan learned to keep faith in their relationship. He was so sweet and understanding that despite how much he resented Chris, he made an effort to help Haley with her dream. Although at the end, Haley found out about the whole thing and that made her want to fight for their relationship all the more.

The shooting at Tree Hill really gave them a reality check. As Haley was trapped at the tutor centre with the shooter in her presence, Nathan built up the courage to go look for her. With a baseball bat in tow, he made his way around the school in search for his wife. His first instinct, the tutor centre. And he was right. "Always and forever," he whispered softly behind the other side of the door. As a wave of relief hit her, Haley opened the door and there stood her hero. She fought back the tears as new found hope settled in her body. They hugged so tight which actually made her stand on her tippy toes. As soon as they turned, they saw Jimmy holding the gun towards them. Haley was staring straight at the barrel. She had never come across a near death experience in her life. Without a seconds thought, Nathan pulled her behind him, using himself as a shield. Jimmy wasn't actually going to shoot but he motioned them to sit against the wall where a handful of other students were too. They were trapped in the tutor centre for four hours, but it felt like forever.

You could see the fear on everyone's face and the unshed tears in everyone's eyes. No one wanted to die. Not like that…

Nathan came awake with a sudden jolt. He checked to see if he had disturbed Haley, she was still fast asleep; he pulled the covers higher over her shoulder and glanced at the clock. It was 4am in the morning, a couple more hours before the sun rose up. He wouldn't be able to fall back asleep so he decided he was going to get up.

As slowly and quietly as he could, he started to move away for Haley's grip, she stirred a bit but laid on her other side. Nathan planted a light kiss on her head and set off towards the lounge room. He flopped on the couch and rested his feet against the wooden coffee table. Then he reached for the remote and turned on the TV. There was nothing on and he settled for a morning show which was in the middle of recounting the latest news. Nathan's eyes began to droop. "Guess I'm still tired," he said sleepily.

Haley woke expecting Nathan's arms around her. She panicked when they weren't she threw back the covers and wandered around the house in search for him. _Where is he?_ The minute she entered the lounge room, she saw Nathan on the couch with the TV running. She smiled at the sight of him there. "You stayed," she whispered quietly. A blanket was on the other end of the couch, and so Haley took it and draped it over Nathan's body. Her belly growled. She placed her hands over her stomach, "Let's get something to eat." With that she made her way towards the kitchen to cook breakfast.

Their kitchen was small, but nonetheless tiny. It was capable of feeding the two of them but Haley knew that with a baby on the way, it would be harder to adjust. Haley had the cravings of cooking pancakes, and that's what she did. As she poured the pancake mix into the pan she was so tempted to just eat it, even if it wasn't cooked yet. She opened he drawer with all the cooking utensils and pulled out a spatula. But there laid a white envelope with the Duke Crest located at the top right hand corner. It was addressed to Nathan. Now normally Haley wouldn't go around snooping into Nathan's business nor would Nathan do the same to her. They both agreed to give each other privacy… But this was an exception. She glanced to Nathan on the couch before she carefully opened the envelope. Quickly reading through the introduction Haley's eyes came across the bold writing, **"Congratulations! We would like to formally congratulate you, as you have been handpicked to be in the Class of 2012. We look forward to seeing you at orientation." **Her eyes widened. _Nathan made it into Duke? Why didn't he tell me? _


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**Hi everyone! Another chapter I've written for you guys. I'd like to point out that I tried my best to make it a little bit longer for those of you who suggested it. I'll also be MIA for a little bit, I know how sad. Just kidding, but yeah I won't be updating as much. But I promise I'll write a few good chapters for you all. Mind my grammar ... Read and review like always. Enjoy!

**Chapter 7:**

Nathan woke to the smell of pancakes in the morning. Haley was always a good cook and with her being pregnant and having cravings like this, he could certainly get used to it. He rubbed his eyes and he could see the morning sun light streaming through the blinds behind the TV. He got up with a grunt and made his way into the kitchen.

"Good morning beautiful." As a routine he bent down to kiss Haley lightly on the lips.

"Good morning." She hit Nathan's incoming hand with her cooking utensil right before Nathan could stick his finger in the pan. "I'm eating for two now."

_Oh… _Nathan pulled his hands back in surrender, Haley just flipped the pancake on its other side then said, "So how do we go about this?"

"About what?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Telling everyone about… you know…"

"Oh… uhmm… It's up to you Hales. Like I said, we should keep it to ourselves for a little while. We should probably tell Mr Anderson about it though."

She nodded and pursed her lips. Haley didn't feel comfortable in telling the school principal that she fell pregnant at the age of seventeen. Nonetheless, she knew she was going to end up telling her principal. There was no rule about being pregnant and with Haley being a student she was; she was an asset to the school. Nathan tried looking at the expression of his wife's face, she was turned towards the stove, carefully pouring more of the pancake mix in the pan. He went up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissing her shoulder. "Have you told your parents about it yet?"

"No. Not yet. I will soon."

"And what should we tell my dad?"

"You should probably tell him the truth; he's going to find out one way or another. Besides it'll give him a reason to hate me more, considering I already took you away from him…"

Ever since Nathan could remember he always hated the fact that Haley thought that Dan hated her. It was his choice to get emancipated from his parents. Although Haley suggested it, Nathan was the one who followed through with the whole idea. In fact Haley actually thought it was a 'silly idea' and meant it as a joke to file separation from his parents. Finally a way to escape the house his father raised him in.

"He doesn't hate you Haley."

"Yeah yeah. You say that every time." She turned around in his arms so that she was now laying her hands on his chest. "Enough about that." Honestly, the thought about Dan confronting her was enough to make her want to go in hiding. She looked up to Nathan under her long eye lashes and said, "Is there something else you need to tell me?"

_Have I done something wrong? Surely not this early in the morning. _He was taken aback with the unexpected question. "Not that I can recall," he said with a frown forming on his forehead.

"So there's absolutely nothing you need to tell me?"

His frown deepened. "Nothing."

Haley sighed angrily, "Okay, fine. Don't say I didn't ask."

After they finished breakfast and got changed out of their pyjamas they headed off to school. Surprisingly, Haley didn't feel nauseated that morning but that changed when she got into the car. "Nathan. You need to slow down because if you don't, this car is going to be covered with this morning's breakfast."

He looked at her and he noticed her paling face. "I'm sorry baby; I'll remember that for next time." As he said that, he managed to slow his driving down a few notches. "Do you want me to pull over for a bit?"

"I think I'll be fine." Haley smiled reassuringly whilst managing to keep the contents of her stomach down.

They ended up arriving at the school parking lot at the same time Lucas parked his car. Haley swang her school backpack over her shoulder and felt someone tickle her on her sides. "Waha !" She turned around finding Lucas grinning from ear to ear she couldn't help but grin also.

"I'm so happy for you guys." All Haley could do was fling her arms around her best friend and pull him into an embrace. "I can't believe I'm going to be an uncle," he said in her ear.

Haley laughed and she could feel the tears coming again. She was completely overwhelmed with the joy she was receiving, even if they only told two of their closest friends. "Thanks Luke."

Standing from afar, Nathan approached them after they pulled away from each other. He understood that his wife and his brother were best friends and so he let them have their moment. Brooke was now making her way towards them.

"Congratulations Naley!" She wrapped her arms around her and then pulled back then Nathan put his arm on Haley's shoulder and Haley wrapped hers on his waist. Imitating their pose, Lucas and Brooke did the same.

"Thanks Brooke," Haley said. "But can you please keep it to yourself for a while? You too Luke. It's just we'd like to have time to tell other people first before this becomes the number one news on facebook." They all laughed but they both reluctantly nodded

"Yes of course." Brooke rubbed her arm as if promising to keep her mouth shut for the duration of how long she wanted to keep it a secret.

The bell rang like to it always did when it told them to head off to homeroom. "Time to go." Nathan held onto Haley's hand and beckoned her towards the school.

"I need to talk to Lucas for a bit. I'll meet you there." He frowned once more but kissed her on the forehead.

"Looks like I'll be escorting Brooke Davis to homeroom." Jumping to Nathan's side, Brooke linked arms with him.

"Don't be too long Haley or else he's a goner."

"She's mine Nathan! You already have Haley!" Lucas shouted after them. Nathan poked out his tongue.

"What's wrong Hales?"

_What's wrong is Nathan got accepted into Duke and he didn't freakin' tell me when I asked him! _But Haley wouldn't say that. "Did Nathan mention anything to you about Duke?"

_Damn it! What am I supposed to say? Avoid eye contact. _Lucas looked down at his shoes, "Ah, I… uhmm… I… I don't know." _Good one Luke. Not only are you going to get in trouble from your best friend who happens to be a girl, but from your brother too. _

"LIAR!"

"Okay okay. He said he got accepted in for college and he told me that you didn't need to know because he's priority now is you and the baby. He found out before you told him you were pregnant."

That confession was like a plunge in the heart. Haley tried to swallow the lump in her throat but it was already tightening. Nathan was going to lose his dream of becoming a professional basketball player because they couldn't afford to pay for college. Because of her…

Lucas noticed the silence and slowly looked up to see Haley with a stunned expression. "This is my entire fault." Was what Haley could manage to say before she burst into tears. He pulled her towards him, "No it's not. Nathan couldn't be more happier to start a family with you, you have to believe me Hales."

"Then… why… do… I… feel… so… guilty?" she said in between sobs.

"It's because you love him too much. That's why, he knows what he wants and it's you." _Oh great! _She cried even harder. "Shh… It'll be okay." His heart was aching seeing how much Nathan meant to her. He'd known Haley for a long time and he never liked witnessing her cry, the first time she did he didn't know what to do. And until this day he still didn't but he tried his best to comfort her the best way he could.

Haley gained her composer and stepped back. "How do I look?"

With puffy eyes and a sad smile on her face Lucas said, "Exquisite"

Both laughing half-heartedly Lucas pulled up his sleeve to check his watched. "We'd better head in."

Taking a deep breath she linked arms with him and together they walked to homeroom.

Nathan watched as Haley entered the room with Lucas right behind her. He could tell she'd been crying, he knew her cheeks were flushed and the way she'd bit her lip to try fight back the tears she kept hidden inside.

"What'd you do?" He mouthed the words behind him where Lucas was just setting his bag behind his chair. Lucas' response was a simple shrug of the shoulders. Too bad he wasn't sitting any closer to him or else he would have punched the guy.

Throughout the entire day, Haley remained silent to him. She'd say a couple of words like yes or no. But that was it. This morning she'd been so happy and energetic and now she was acting like a completely different person. Nathan dropped off Haley to work the way her always did after school. She was working part-time for Lucas' mother who owned and ran Karen's Café. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

She sighed and then looked sideways at him. "No you haven't. I'm just tired that's all you know pregnant women these days. I'm sorry I've been giving you that vibe but really I'm fine."

He'd force her to tell him but right now she was late. "All right then. See you tonight." Nathan leaned over to give her a kiss and then Haley went inside. He waited until she was behind the counter before he drove off.

10 minutes later…

"You can do this." He said to himself in the car, he was parked outside a house he never dreamt of coming back to again. Leaning his head back he winced at the memories he kept buried. Finally after a few minutes of convincing himself he got out of the car and marched up the steps that lead to the front door. His hand hovered against the door bell, after closing and reopening his eyes he pressed it. He heard the footsteps behind the door and with a click of the lock there stood the man he tried avoiding. Dan Scott.

"Nathan?"

"Hi dad."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:**Thank you to all those members who have been subscribing to this, I've been getting so much mail it's unbelievable! I've been thinking about writing another one… Anywho here's another chapter to say thank you. Hopefully I'll be able to get another one up before Christmas… Until than read and review like always and enjoy!

**Chapter 8: **

Nathan was half hoping that he wouldn't answer the door. It would have given him a chance to retreat and rethink about asking his only father for help.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to tell you something," he said. "I thought you ought to know."

Dan stepped aside so that Nathan could walk in. The house he grew up in hadn't changed at all. The hallway which led into the main living room was still the same colour, a rich burgundy. The living room itself still had photo frames of him and his parents, lining the mantel and the bookcases. Nathan turned around to face his dad. He had a good two days' worth of whiskers and his eyes looked tired from all the paperwork stacked up on the coffee table. He was wearing a grey button down shirt with a pair of jeans. You'd think the mayor would try and keep up his appearance. Dan offered him to take a seat.

"What is it you need to tell me son?" Nathan cringed at the mention of Dan calling him his son. After everything that's happened that was the last thing he wanted to be called, especially from him. He leaned his arms on his knees fiddling with his keys in his hands.

"I made it into Duke."

Completely and utterly shocked, Dan Scott was speechless for the very first time in his life.

"_Dad! Please can we stop? Can't I take a break?"_

"_No! I told you, breaks come after you make five three pointers in a row. You missed that one, let's start again! Duke won't take a failure. So get it right this time." On the verge of walking off, fourteen year old Nathan did what he was told. He was much taller than anyone in his class and he made it in every basketball team. 'I swear as soon as I get accepted into Duke, I'll run away from this hell hole.'_

Frozen in place, pure unimaginable pride ripped through him.

"Well done Nathan!"

But Nathan wasn't sharing the same joy his father was. "I can't go."

Dan scoffed. "Of course you can go. What's stopping..."

"Haley's pregnant."

Dan didn't even know he was leaning after he fell back in his chair. It was as if history was repeating itself but to his son. At first he was frustrated to the point in which he wanted to scold him for not being careful. He warned him about the possibility of fathering a child quite frankly it wasn't one of his finest moments and it ended him never speaking to Nathan anymore. Until today.

"Didn't I tell you Nathan? My goodness I thought you would have learnt this lesson by now!"

"Do you think I did this on purpose? To piss you off? No!"

"Really? Because I know why you're here. You want me to help you don't you? You really think that it's that easy?"

Nathan gulped.

"Yeah see! I know how all this works, trust me I've been there."

_Man do I want to choke this guy. _"Look I'm not here to listen you lecture me about what I did wrong okay. Yes I came here for help that was my intention in the first place, along with telling you about what happened."

Dan gave him a piercing glare.

"URGH! I knew I shouldn't have come here. I was so stupid! I'm sorry I wasted your valuable time doing whatever you do best. Being and asshole!" He got up and headed to the front door.

"Nathan! Come back here! Nathan!" Dan shouted.

But it was too late. He slammed the door as loud as he could making the frame rattle, then he jogged down the steps and in the driver's seat he went. Stepping on the accelerator he drove back to the apartment.

In the fit of anger Dan threw the closest thing to him at the wall. Breaking glass is echoed throughout the house. As he goes to bend down and pick it up, he turns it over to see a picture of him and Nathan. At age four he was already shooting hoops. Although not yet able to reach the basket, Dan piggybacks him on his shoulders and pretends to run towards it. The photo is a stolen shot taken by Nathan's mother Deb. _"He shoots and he scores! Well done son! You'll make a fine player one day." He sat him back on his feet and held his hand out to give him a high-five._

"_Again!" Nathan said._

"_All right, here we go again."_

Those were the days where Dan Scott wasn't the wicked bastard everyone thought he was. He did have a heart but it was rarely ever seen due to his evil schemes getting in the way. He brushed off the broken glass and took out the photo. Setting it on the coffee table he went to go clean up the mess he made.

Nathan threw his bag against the couch. "I should have known he'd say that! Jackass!" He flopped himself down rubbing his forehead.

"Hey! What's going on?" Haley peered from the bedroom door wrapped tightly in her robe.

"What are you doing here?" He could smell her strawberry shampoo as she made her way towards him.

"I wasn't feeling well and I asked Karen if I could go home," she winced. "She saw straight through me Nate. She knows I'm pregnant so that's on less person we need to tell."

"Two actually."

"What do you mean?" She sat on the couch lifting her legs and placing them on Nathan's lap.

"I went to go see Dan today, after I dropped you off at work. I told him that you were pregnant and he just gave me a lecture about how thoughtless I was on getting you knocked up. He thought I did it on purpose!"

"You told him you got into Duke too didn't you?"

He knew she knew about the acceptance letter ever since this morning but he thought it was best not to bring it up. And knowing Haley she would have forced him to go even if he didn't want to, but luckily he did.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Why didn't you? You know I would have supported you. It's your dream Nathan, why can't you have it?"

"I thought it wouldn't have mattered anymore. I want to put you and the baby first before my dream."

Haley smiled at his attempt to explain his emotions, "Listen to me. I'm not going anywhere and no matter what happens the three of us aren't going to get separated okay? If you want to play college basketball, you're going to play college basketball. Please don't think anything's pulling you back." He looked at her straight in the eyes to catch her meaning.

"Hay- Oh baby, you're not holding me back. Why would you even think that?" He grabbed her hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"It's just how I feel…"

"Your turn to listen. From the first time I held a basketball in my hands, the goal of going to Duke has been drilled into my brain. You need to go to Stanford Hales."

"But-"

"No but's. Look, a couple weeks ago Tim told me that a guy from Duke would come to our State Championship game and he'd offer a few scholarships to players who deserve them. Now if the Ravens work twice as hard and make it to the championships I could be one of them. And during lunch today Luke said he'd back me up."

Haley surprised him by raining kisses all over his face. "I love you so much Nathan Scott."

They ended up making out on the couch and when morning came they woke up caught in each other's arms smiling at one another. "Nathan move I really need to pee!"

"What?"

"You're pushing up against my bladder, now move." Struggling to push him off the couch they both fell to the ground with her landing on top of him.

"Omoof!"

He laughed. "You know you look really sexy from this angle. If each morning started out like this… I don't think we'd get anything productive done." She giggled and then kissed him on the lips before she got up and bolted to the toilet. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. He dusted himself off and got up to answer it, he was surprised to see… "Brooke?"

She looked away shyly. "Hi Nathan is Haley home?"

"Yeah, uhmm… come in. Are you okay?" he asked, closing the door behind her. She shook her head before she started to cry. Nathan quickly went to comfort her, "Hey what's wrong?"

"Brooke?" Haley called.

"Yeah I'm here."

"What are… Oh sweetie what happened?" She took over Nathan's place on comforting their friend.

"It's about Lucas."

"What about him? Is he okay?" Nathan asked worried about his older brother.

"No… I only found out this morning and I drove all the way over here to tell you guys in person."

Haley was starting to get worried too. "Brooke what happened? What happened to Lucas?"

"He's in hospital, he collapsed at work."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Hi! How have you guys all been? It's been a while since I last updated I'm currently working on other fanfics so bear with me. I think this will be the last chapter for the year… But do not worry they'll be loads more next year! As for now, I wish every single one of you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. God Bless and take care. Read and review like always. Enjoy!

**Chapter 9:**

"At work?" They both asked in unison.

"Not at work work. The past few weeks he's been trying to restore an old car him and Keith were working on before he died. Lucas would always say he needed to go to work so that's where he went. Then last night he came back from the River Court and collapsed on the way to the garage at the back of his house."

Haley and Nathan remained silent for a bit. "But…"

"He was fine that morning," Nathan finished. "I mean you guys saw him."

"That's the exact same thing I said to Karen."

"We should go. We should go see him." Haley said, rubbing her hands over her arms.

"Yes, both of you should."

"What, you're not coming with us?"

"Karen told me to grab a few things from the house."

"I'll do that." Nathan offered. "You girls go. Just be careful and Brooke, don't drive too fast because Haley gets sick."

"Oh that happened again?" Haley nodded.

"Okay well Lucas' mum said he'd need some clothes and a couple books to keep him occupied."

"All right. I'll meet you girls there."

Nathan arrived half an hour later at Lucas' house. Going around the back and past a corner he came across Lucas' door which led straight into his bedroom. He knew he kept a spare key under the mat and in a matter of minutes he was inside. Lucas' bedroom was decorated in blue colours, typical for a guy. His old Ravens basketball jersey hung just above the bed frame on the wall. Their last name, Scott, was sewed on with black letters and the number **3 **took the majority of the space.

Heading straight to his closet across the other side of the room, he grabbed one of the training bags Whitey gave out to the team. Taking a hoodie, a jacket, pants and some shirts he ransacked Lucas' bedside table and drawer in search for a book. "This'll do." It was a hard copy of J.K Rowling's novel, Harry Potter. He laughed at first but settled on packing it in the bag. Lastly he opened a drawer full of socks and underwear, but his finger brushed against a cylindrical container. Located at the very back corner of the drawer and wrapped inside a white sock Nathan pulled it out. There was one tablet left in the orange pill bottle. Checking the prescription it was labelled as Lucas' name. "Taken once a day and before any physical activity or exercise." Nathan read aloud. His phone rang at that moment. "Hello?"

"Nathan? Could you hurry up with Luke's stuff?" It was Brooke, she sounded a lot better than she had this morning. "He's awake now."

"Yeah I'm on my way." He hung up and shoved the pill bottle in his pocket.

At the hospital…

"He said he'd be here soon."

Lucas lay still on his hospital bed. This was the last thing he wanted to happen. While all of them knew nothing about his current situation, he wanted to keep it that way.

"What's wrong Luke?" Haley asked concerned he wasn't feeling comfortable.

"Nothing, I'm just a little tired that's all but I still want you guys here."

"Hey, sorry I took so long. Here you go Luke. This was the only book I could find."

"Harry Potter?" Lucas said. "Really Nathan? I've read this three times."

"That's all I could find!" He shook his head and placed the book on his lap.

"All right girls," Haley interrupted. "I need to grab some breakfast because not only am I hungry but the baby is too. Nate you stay. Me and Brooke will bring the food."

The girls left hurriedly and at last the boys were alone. Nathan never liked the smell of hospitals. The sterilised feeling you get when you were a patient and all the anti-bacterial surfaces. He'd been here plenty of times and he still wasn't used to it. He shivered.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. What about you?"

"Never better."

He took out the pills. "What's this?"

Lucas instantly recognised what he was holding. Trying to cover up, he lied. "They're vitamins. I'm trying something new you know to help with my game and all."

"You're lying. These are prescribed Lucas."

Rubbing his forehead in frustration he clenched his teeth. "Okay I'll tell you." Nathan crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you remember that trip we took to that doctor?" He nodded. "I found out a couple weeks ago that I have a genetic heart condition… Basically I have what Dan has. And it can be treated with those pills." He inclined his head to the bottle in Nathan's hand. "They cost a lot and I forgot to take one before I left to go to the River Court."

"Forgot or skipped?" Lucas looked away.

"I'm… Luke I'm so sorry, why didn't you tell us?"

"I was but then you told me that Haley was pregnant and… and… I knew that if I told her I had a heart condition she'd over react. My mum doesn't even know." And that's when Nathan caught on. "Don't ask me what I think you're going to ask me."

"Please Nathan. You're not allowed to tell anyone. Please."

"I can't keep this from Haley, she's my wife."

"And you're my brother."

"… And she's your best friend."

Lucas opened his mouth but no words came out. Yes Haley was his best friend and as a best friend to her, she deserved to worry about her pregnancy rather than him. She deserved every single second of becoming a first time mother and so did Nathan on becoming a first time dad.

Nathan felt bad for him. "Okay, fine. Your secret is safe with me, for now. But you have to promise me that you'll tell them okay? Sooner or later you're going to have to break the news to them, look what happened to me and Haley."

"Thanks Nate."

Suddenly the girls walked in carrying armfuls of food. "Nathan could you give me a hand with these?" Haley said. He quickly made his way over to her to set the food on the table where the patients had their meals.

"Geez Hales." Lucas eyed the potential food she was going to consume. How on earth could a small petite woman eat that much?

"I had cravings okay? Besides I was going to share… some of it." They all laughed.

Nathan looked at the clock mounted on the wall. "Woah, we'll be late for school. Time to go."

"Rest up okay? And don't do anything else just stay here and recover."

"Yes mum." Haley narrowed her eyes at him before pulling away from their hug and grabbing Nathan's hand.

"Listen to her Luke."

"Yes dad." Both Nathan and Haley sighed.

"I was just playing around," Lucas laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be up and about in no time."

"Yeah you better." Leaning against the bed Brooke kissed his forehead affectionately. "In the mean time we have to go to school."

"Sucks to be yous"

The trio left and got to school before the bell rang… but Haley knew something bad was going to happen. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! It's a brand new year. I trust the yous have had an amazing holiday. I've been working on this chapter while I was gone and it isn't as long as I would have hoped but I really wanted to update already. There were a couple of typos in the previous chapters so if you're bothered to look back I've tried my best to fix it. Also I got the age of when Haley fell pregnant mixed up… therefore I've changed that to make it seventeen not eighteen. Meaning Nathan and Haley got married when they were just sixteen. Okay now that I've got that cleared up, I hope you enjoy the read!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10:<strong>

"Did you see Mr Anderson's face when we told him you were pregnant? I could have sworn he was about to give us a lecture."

"It's not funny Nathan." They we both huddled together on the couch recounting all of today's events. "I'm just glad today's over. Did you know at least one person in each of my class, congratulated me about the baby? I just pictured everything so differently in my head."

He pulled back. "How did you picture it?"

She blinked at the sudden spark of curiosity. "I don't know... I always thought I'd get "those" glances when I walked down the hallway to get to my locker. Or I'd over hear a couple of girls talking about me while I was in the toilet. I thought it was a classic way of people's reaction to teen pregnancy. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah I know what you mean but that hasn't happened right?" he asked worriedly.

"What? No of course not. What about you? How'd the team handle it?"

"They've been really supportive. I asked Whitey if I could leave a few minutes before training ended whenever there's an appointment for the baby and he said yes. See I've got it all figured out." Haley couldn't believe how much effort he was putting in to make it easier for the both of them. How he made it feel like everything was all under control and for once in her life, she felt the future wasn't going to be as scary as it seemed. "I'll try my best to make it to every single appointment," Nathan continued. "But I can't make any promises I won't be there on time. It's almost the state championships but we'll need to make it past the semi-finals first. I'm sure Brooke would be happy to tag along with you. And besides Lucas and Skills offered to help me catch up with all the training practices whenever I meet them down at the Rivercou –"

Haley gripped his neck and leaned forward to capture his lips. She felt so proud of him for thinking ahead that she couldn't hold back any longer. Her actions cut him off in the middle of his tirade. Nathan responded almost instantly and gently laid her down on the couch. "Haley…" he groaned in between their kisses.

"I know baby. It's killing me too." She threw her head back so that Nathan could trail kisses up her neck. He eventually found her mouth and Haley desperately pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the floor. "That's more like it." Nathan grinned evilly and Haley pulled him closer. He made sure he wasn't adding to much pressure on her so that he wouldn't hurt Haley or the baby. He loved this woman so much that he'd practically do anything for her. God he missed their bodies being so close to one another. It was making him insane!

"We should stop." Haley said before they went any further. Nathan pulled away willingly.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"No don't be." She sat up carefully and straightened her clothes. Nathan smiled as he took notice of her swollen lips and her flushed cheeks. He cupped her chin before planting a light kiss on her forehead. "I think I'm going to head off to bed." She said tiredly.

"It's only nine thirty." He picked his shirt up off the floor and dressed himself.

"I know but ever since I found out I was pregnant my sleeping pattern has gone awry. I was so close on sleeping through history today."

Nathan picked her up in his arms. "You know what? On second thought maybe you should go to sleep." She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck while he carried her towards the bedroom.

"You might as well carry me considering I'll be a size of a whale in a few months."

"You a whale? Never! A dolphin maybe." She punched him on the shoulder once he placed her on the bed. "I was totally joking by the way."

"Yeah yeah. Say what you want to say but in less than six months I'm going to give birth to your kid."

He put his hands on his chest pretending her comment hurt him. "It's your kid too."

However Haley was already fast asleep. He laughed. Thinking she was going to get cold he covered her up with their blanket. With one more glance at Haley sleeping on their bed he forced himself to leave her and clean up around the apartment. But just as he made it to the kitchen there was a knock on the door. _Who could that possibly be? _Nathan walked over so he could open it.

"Mum?"

"Hi Nathan." His sobered mother stood in front of his door way looking healthier than she looked in a very long time. Her mid-length blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and wasn't teased like it usually was when she experimented with pills. Her eyes looked much brighter and they no longer had black circles underneath them. She was wearing a grey jumper and blue denim pants with sneakers. Nathan smiled at her transformation, she really was his mother and no matter what happened in the past, he was always going to love her. Dan on the other hand… "I know it's late but I really wanted to talk to my son." He held the door back so that she could come inside.

"You look a lot better now mum." he said. Deb hid her smile at her son's compliment. They both took a seat and turned their attention to one another.

"I heard my baby was going to be a father!"

"Who told you?"

"It doesn't matter who told me."

"It was Dan wasn't it?" Deb waved his question away.

"Come over here and give your mother a hug." He leaned over but his mother already pulled him towards her. "Despite history repeating itself, I'm so proud of you Nathan." He pulled back and laughed. "My only advice to you is to not make the same mistakes your father and I made when we raised you. If it wasn't for you meeting Haley you wouldn't have become the man I see seating right in front of me today."

"You're really not mad?"

"No, why would I be?"

"It's just that dad wasn't as enthusiastic as you were… I'm mean that's typical of him." Deb sighed in agreement.

"There are some things that time can never change. Your father's just one of them. But I think deep down he's really proud of you. He had the nerve to ring me up and tell me about your news."

His mother defending his dad baffled him. "Since when were you all understanding now?"

"Ever since I was in rehabilitation… you know what? Let's just say I've learned to see things from a different light." She patted his knee.

"So I take it you know about Duke University accepting me in?"

A wide grin spread across his mother's face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **I want to dedicate this chapter to .net/u/2651585/hebewe to say thanks for all the reviews you've given me. And to all of you who have subscribed to my fanfic, a big shout out: THANK YOU! Hope you guys enjoy ^^

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><p><strong>Chapter 11:<strong>

"I am so proud of you Nathan. I know I already said it before but I really do mean what I'm saying to you. That's why you have to go to Duke. You need to and I know Haley would want you to go as well."

A tic worked at Nathan's jaw. It seemed as though all he kept hearing was him 'needing' to go to Duke. "It isn't that simple mum. In case you haven't forgotten I have a family now. I'm not going to leave Haley alone while I go play college basketball. She'd have to stay at home and look after the baby. By herself!"

She gave a slight nod. "That's why I've come up with an idea." Nathan frowned. "Just hear me out. Now that I'm not caught in my drugged up stupor I want you and Haley to move in with me… in the house." Nathan stood up as rage took over his entire being. He started pacing back and forth, and then stopped to look at her. Putting his hands on his hips he tried to think rationally.

"Did it ever occur to you that your ex-husband lives there? You can't possibly think I'd live in the same house as him. Let alone bring Haley with me to raise our child."

"You didn't let me finish," she said. Deb looked at her son and stood up to meet his level, which was a bit difficult seeing he was a head taller than her. "It was actually your faher's idea. I just said it was mine so that it looked like I was the one who thought of it… The point is he told me you came to him for help. He offered to move out and live in the beach house while the three, well four, of us live at the house. That way I'll be able to look after my grandchild while you and Haley go to college. That takes care of you not having to pay for the bills to this apartment. It's a win win situation." Nathan ran his hand through his face.

"Dad actually offered to move out? Dan Scott?"

"Yes!"

He scoffed. "Who would have known? Look mum I really don't want to put a burden on you. You only just got better."

"Honey it's not a burden. I would be more than willing to lend a helping hand. If you would just learn to accept that I want to help you. This apartment might be able to support a family for a few years but when your child grows up wouldn't you want him or her to have a backyard to play in? Or an actual nursery not one located directly across the bed?" His mum had a point there.

"Okay fine. But I'll have to talk to Haley about this first."

"No need." They both turned around to see her leaning against the door which led into the bedroom. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to hear the last part. Hi Mrs Scott."

"Oh Haley," She walked up to her and pulled her in for a hug. "Please call me Deb. You've known me long enough to not have to call me Mrs Scott. That's not even my last name anymore. But… Congratulations! How far along are you?" They both drew back to better look at each other.

Haley laughed. "We're about 6 weeks."

Deb let out a low whistle. "Have you told your parents yet?" Haley shook her head. "I'm sure they would be thrilled to her about the news."

"Thanks Deb."

"No problem. Now what do you think? I promise you there are no catches or draw backs. Although you two might have to chip in with a little house work but that's it." Nathan smirked and made his way to Haley and wrapped one arm around her waist. He couldn't deny what an offer his parents were suggesting. "What do you think Nate?"

"Hey, whatever you decide is fine by me." He kissed her lovingly on the forehead.

Haley licked her lips and gave a lopsided smile. "It's a yes! But you have to promise to tell us if it's going to be too much for you. I have to agree with Nathan, as much as we are grateful for your offer we both want you to stay healthy. We don't want to add any more stress on your recovery."

Deb smiled at her thoughtfulness. "I promise. So it's settled you both move in the day after tomorrow. That will give Dan some time to pack his things and move it over the beach house." She pulled the sleeve of her jumper to check her watch. "I should probably get going it's getting kind of late. In the meantime look after yourselves."

"Thank you Deb," Haley hugged her once more. "For everything."

Nathan walked his mother to her car which parked outside their apartment. It was a white SUV with dark tinted windows. Its interior design was simple and elegant fit to be a family size vehicle. "Hey mum?" She paused just before she slid into the driver's seat.

"Yeah?"

Nathan dug his hands into his pockets. It was getting cold and he was outside wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants in the middle of the night. Goosebumps were already starting to form on his arms. "Thank you. I know I've said it a dozen times when I walked you from the front door to your car but I really am grateful for what you're doing." She could feel his genuine gratitude but to her, it wasn't a big deal. Any mother would want to help her child. And she knew that this lesson would soon be taught to her son and her daughter-in-law in a few years' time.

"As I've said it a dozen and one times, you are very welcome. But I think some of the credit has to go to your father. I have to go." She kissed him on the cheek and strapped the seat belt around her.

Nathan closed her door. "I love you mum."

"I love you too sweet heart. Now go look after your wife." He watched as she drove down the street then headed back when she was out of sight. He walked in on Haley drying the dishes in the kitchen. "You should be in bed."

"I know. But I wanted you to come with me. I knew that if this wasn't cleaned I'd already be fast asleep before you would have even finished." She put away the last plate in the cupboard. "Now I am… done." He laughed and placed his arms around her waist.

"Haley James Scott. How did I get so lucky to have a wife like you?"

Her grin taunted him. "You got very lucky." She grabbed his hands and hauled him in the direction of the bedroom. "Now come to bed!" He chuckled under his breath and quickly complied.

They were under the covers lying on their sides. Nathan's arm lay softly over her waist while his hand was resting against her belly. Haley put hers on top linking their fingers together. She looked down at their joint hands. Sighing at the warmth she always felt whenever she was near him she closed her eyes and tired picturing their future together as a family. She hoped that it would be a little baby boy. But she would still be content even if it was a girl. Just as long as it had ten fingers and toes and she or he was born healthy with no problems then she'd be okay. Better than okay, she would be happy. She couldn't get over how a small living thing was growing inside of her. Slowly getting bigger and bigger until it was big enough to fit in her arms. Haley was already falling in love with their unborn child and although it might look like a size of a pea it was theirs.

"I love you Nathan." He savoured the way she said she loved him. The loving tone she used to say how she felt. He kissed her head and tightened his hold on her.

"I love you too Hales."

At last the three of them were going to be okay. But for how long? Nothing lasts forever…


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **It has been a very long time since I last updated… But here's a chapter just for you guys. I've been working on it from time to time. A lot of things have been happening, but I have never forgotten about this. Fair warning, I wish I could have gone much longer but I was getting desperate. You guys are the best and I promise to try not to delay any more updates. Sorry again. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 12:<strong>

"Baby, are you okay?" Nathan held Haley's hair away from her face as she spilled the contents of her stomach down the toilet. It was 2 am and she'd been regublarly up around this hour to throw up.

"Go back to sleep. I'll be okay." She said before she grabbed hold of the toilet bowl and threw up again. Pulling back, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and gave a half-hearted smile. Nathan smiled back and placed a cold hand on her cheek. She looked so pale and he could tell she was tired. Haley rubbed her cheek against his hand, grateful that it was cold.

"I guess that's why they call it morning sickness." She coughed slightly to clear her throat.

"Yeah but at 2 am? That's ridiculous!"

Haley laughed. "Sweetie, it's officially a new day at soon as it hits midnight. It's morning baby."

He pulled her closer to him and leaned up against the bath tub. "I'm sorry Haley." He kissed the crown of her head and held her tightly. She gave a confused frown at his apology.

"What are you apologising for? You haven't done anything wrong."

Yes he did. How could any husband - let alone a man - watch his wife go through this? He felt helpless. Every day he watched as Haley looked so exhausted and worn down from the night before, just staying up and trying not to hurl again. He tried his best to comfort her and to soothe all the worries she had about the baby. But it just didn't feel enough.

"It just feels like I have too." He answered weakly

Haley reached up to cup his face, making sure he was directly looking at her before she spoke. "Nathan. You should never have to apologise to me," she took his hand and placed it gently over her non-existent yet faint baby bump. "Especially for making our baby. Now I get to have someone else I get to love and cherish and you know what the best part of all this is?" Nathan shook his head. "I made our baby with you."

His throat went dry as those words touched him. He tried to swallow but he just couldn't. And despite how afraid he was on becoming a dad, he knew that whatever happened, he was going to protect his family no matter what. He would walk through heaven and hell to fight for the people he loved. Ever since he could remember he was always protective over the things he cared about the most. At first glance Haley seemed like any other ordinary girl at his school. Who would have known that years later, they would be married with a baby on the way. These were usually planned later in life. But it was already happening to them…

Haley snuggled closer towards him. "Are you ready for the move tomorrow?"

"Yes. I just need to pack a couple more boxes in the morning and we're all good to go. How'd your parents react when you told them about the baby?"

She sighed. "Good. I guess…"

"Guess? What do you mean you guess?"

"They sounded happy through the phone. And they both said that they would help in any which way they can and that they were here for support."

But even then, Nathan knew that there was still something troubling her. That's the thing with living with girls, sometimes the deafening silence is what you have to look out for the most. It's only then that you should be really worried.

"What's wrong Hales?"

"Nothing." Denial.

Nathan scoffed. "Yeah right, I know that tone. Now tell me what's wrong. The last time this happened you told me you were pregnant remember that?"

"Of course I remember! Who wouldn't remember their husband walking out on her?"

"You know that you caught me off guard." Nathan said defensively.

"Yeah well if you had to experience being walked out on, you would be reacting the exact same way as I am! Did you ever think of how hard it was for? For a brief second I thought that I would be raising our child alone! And that –"

Nathan cut her off with a scorching kiss. As he pulled away her eyes were still closed, her cheeks were a little red and her lips were still slightly parted.

"Were you caught off guard?" he asked.

Haley nodded slowly.

"Now can you tell me what's wrong?"

She blinked and looked down at the floor. "I think they were a little disappointed in me…"

"Hales.." She looked away quickly wiping a tear that had escaped her eye. Nathan took her chin and gently made her look at him. "If there's anything that I've learned from this, is that your parents handled it a lot better than mine did. I told my father face to face and he accused me of being irresponsible. My mum had to find out through him and even though she told me she was proud of me, in her eyes I could tell she was thinking the exact same thing my father was. Trust me Hales, it's better that you told your parents through the phone than see all the disappointment in their eyes."

Haley blinked back her tears and managed to look at him past her wet lashes. Maybe it was better. He'd been so kind to her, so thoughtful and he never once complained. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I love you Nathan Scott."

Nathan sighed, she felt so good in his arms, "I love you too Haley James Scott."

"Hmm.." Haley adjusted her position so that she was leaning against his shoulder, too tired to even move, she gladly welcomed sleep. Nathan draped his arm around her. It wasn't until he heard the gentle snore he always loved, did he pick her up and carry her back into bed.

She lay on her side facing him, her long hair spilled across the pillow. She stirred a little before opening her eyes. She smiled slightly as she was met with Nathan's masculine scent.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered through the dark. "I'll be right here." Nathan watched as she closed her eyes once more and her breathing evened out. Just as he was about to fall asleep himself there was a loud thud coming from the living room. Fully alert now, he quickly got out of bed and grabbed the baseball bat from the wardrobe. This had happened once before, but it was only his Uncle Copper. But he had long moved out of Tree Hill. He made his way across the room and turned the knob of the door as quietly as he could. With his back against the wall, he tip toed towards the living room. The bat was still firmly in his hand and with an out stretched arm he quickly flicked on the light switch. The intruder turned around.

Nathan was posed to fight but frowned at the sight of… "Peyton?"

"Hi Nate."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Hey lovelies! I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to update. It been a very long time and right now I have a break on school so I had spear time on my hands. To those who remain faithful to my fanfiction, thank you for sticking by me. Hopefully this makes up for the major break between this chapter and chapter 12. Have fun reading!

Lots of love, foreverme

**Chapter 13:**

Nathan frowned at the sight of Peyton standing in the middle of his living room. Even though he was deprived of sleep he was wide awake now.

"W-what are you doing here?" He asked her, gently lowering his bat down to his side and letting his grip loosen around the handle. They hadn't heard from her ever since Haley and him renewed their wedding vows. Which was nearly over two months ago and although her goodbye was very brief and abrupt, she left to go visit Jake and his daughter in high hopes he would let her stay.

That would explain Brooke and Peyton not speaking to each other, just as they were recovering from the shooting at Tree Hill, Peyton couldn't bring herself to stay. That one day almost ended her life. And as much as Brook tried to understand her situation she just couldn't. Their friendship was literally hanging by the nail and so they drifted.

"My flight got delayed and then my phone battery died and the stupid taxi driver didn't know where he was going. So I told him to come here." She was rubbing her forehead obviously frustrated over what happened. Peyton's blonde wavy hair was worn out and fell just past her shoulders. Her leather jacket was worn lopsided causing one of the sleeves to fall down her left arm.

A suit case was situated right near her feet, she moved to make it stand up right, but it fell short making it topple over again. She kicked at it angrily with her foot and hissed at the pain it gave her. Nathan moved forward to reposition it again.

"Thanks Nate." She said, grateful for his help.

"Peyton what is going on? Why are you back here?" Nathan didn't mean to sound so confronting but how were you supposed to react? Yes he was suspicious, who wouldn't be? But he was trying really hard to not let it show.

"I missed you guys and I guess I never really left." It was partially true, she truly did miss them but there were other reasons that made her come back.

"Right," Nathan's curiosity only grew higher. "It's getting really late you might as well stay here, the sun will be up soon." He walked towards a box and rummaged inside in search of a blanket. "We're moving in with my mum tomorrow so that explains all the boxes around the apartment. But I guess it doesn't really count as tomorrow more like later on today."

He finally located one and threw it across the room to Peyton. She smiled and flopped on the couch.

"Why? I thought you and Haley were doing fine on your own." She unfolded the blanket carefully spreading it over her legs.

Nathan frowned. "Because Haley's pregnant Peyton. I thought Brooke told you."

Peyton was left gaping at him. "Oh my god! I feel so terrible! Congratulations, I'm so sorry I didn't congratulate you earlier."

"Thanks," he cocked an eyebrow. "You really didn't know?"

Peyton shook her head, pursing her lips together. "Had I known, you know I would have called you and Haley in a second." You would have thought Brooke would have at least had the decency to call her about this… Right?

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. We shouldn't have assumed you'd get the news. Haley will be thrilled to see you. Get some rest, we'll figure something out in the morning." He turned to leave.

"Good night Nathan."

"Good night Peyton." He turned off the light and gave a glance back. He knew that with Peyton back in town, a whole lot of drama was to be expected.

Peyton was left with her thoughts. "What is wrong with me?" She had just intruded into Nathan and Haley's last night at their apartment unexpectedly, seeking help! She noticed the dark circles appearing under Nathan's eyes, no doubt Haley would have some herself.

If only she could have taken back what she had said to Jake. But it didn't matter, sleep or no sleep. She said what she had said.

It was late at night and Jake and Peyton had just put Jenny back to bed. "She's growing on you." He said sweetly, his elbows leaning against the cot looking lovingly at his daughter whilst she slept. Peyton stood behind him with her hands wrapped around his waist and her chin on his shoulder.

"I'm glad she is." She gave a soft smile and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Jake slowly turned around in her arms and looked down on her. They both smiled at each other. The dim light coming from the bed side lamp showed Peyton's face making her hazel green eyes sparkle.

He leaned forward to give her a kiss and she responded almost automatically. Peyton took control, reaching up to cup his face. Jake pulled her closer and his hands rested on her hips. She broke away.

"Not in front of her." She laughed and took a hold of his hand leading him towards the bedroom.

Jake didn't waste time on quickly raining kisses down her jawline, slowly making his way towards her lips.

"Wait, wait, I want to tell you something." He stopped instantly and gave her a frown.

"You do, do you?"

She gave him a curt nod and pulled him towards the bed. They sat beside each other her hands still holding his tightly.

"You know you were out the entire day and I was in charge of taking care of Jenny?" Jake didn't know where she was going with this.

"Yeeesss…" he elongated the word to show his confusion. "Why, what happened?"

"I – I decided to take her out for the day." She beamed proudly. "She helped me pick out her outfit and I got to do her hair and everything. I never really got to do that with my real mum and it felt so surreal and perfect." Jake sympathised her. "So once I got her in the stroller we walked around the block a few times and ended up playing in the park. As she was playing, I sat down to keep an eye on her and this lady comes up to me and asks which one was mine. I pointed out Jenny just as she was about to go down the slide. She turns to me and says 'I can tell her looks came from her mother. Your daughter is beautiful.'" Tears were starting to glisten in her eyes.

Jake started to panic. "Pey-"

"Just listen," he did. "When I took her home all I kept thinking about was what the lady said. At first I was shocked but after a while her compliment made me feel happy. I can't really explain it. I must be confusing you." She sighed.

"No no, you're making sense. I trust there's more to the story," Peyton nodded. "Then please continue."

"Okay, it was time for Jenny's nap and I remember rocking her to sleep. And as I was putting her in her cot she wakes up just a little and then.. and then.." The tears Peyton was trying to hold in overflew causing tears to come one after the other. Leaving a sliver like trail down her flushed cheeks. She brushed them away hurriedly.

Jake pulled a strand of her hair back from her face. "Peyton, what happened?"

"Jenny called me mama."

"Peyton-"

"It's not a bad thing," she quickly rushed to defend his daughter's actions. "I was just caught off guard. Having time to spend with you and Jenny made me realise that I want this. I want to have a family Jake. With you, with Jenny. All three of us." Managing to control her tears once more she looked at him.

"I want to be with you."

Jake laughed half-heartedly. "But you are with me, you're with me right now."

Peyton shook her head joining in with his half-hearted laugh. "No Jake that's not what I meant. I want to get married."

"Peyton," Jake frowned and scratched his chin. "I'm not so sure about this. You've only been here a short while and it's not just me I have to think about I have to think about Jenny too." Peyton felt lost and confused. She thought they were already a family.

"Don't you love?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then what's the problem?"

There were plenty of reasons for why they shouldn't get married. Peyton knew it was ridiculous, rushed yes, but she still hoped Jake would say yes. He got up and started pacing the room, hands on hips and a look of concentration masking his face. Peyton grew cautious as to what the next words were going to come out of her mouth. She sat by herself on the bed and thought better of it, she got up and stood in Jake's path. Before he could turn she wrapped her arm gently around his lean waist.

"Talk to me please?" She kissed his shoulder.

"Okay," he turned to face her. "You need to be one hundred percent committed to not only me but to Jenny too. I can get hurt over and over again and I wouldn't care but if Jenny gets hurt that's it. She's always been my number one priority Peyton so you need to tell me, is this what you really want?"

She didn't even need a second to contemplate her answer. "Yes."

A slow smile started to form from the corners of his mouth and she couldn't help but imitate his smile.

"We're getting married!" He laughed and picked her up and spun in a small circle. She giggled and kissed him passionately. Peyton was starting to believe that happily ever after's did exist after all.

It was two o'clock in the morning when Peyton felt a wave of emptiness next to her on the bed. Normally she would awake to a protective arm wrapped around her waist, but this time, this time there wasn't. She leaned up on one elbow rubbing her right eye with the other hand to let her focus on a figure sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Baby? What are you still doing up?" She stifled a yawn before sitting up straight. "Baby?"

"You were talking in your sleep just a few minutes ago." He stood to lean against a wall on the far side of the bedroom. Peyton grew confused.

"Did I say something to upset you?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." He looked away.

"It's clearly bothering you. What did I say?" Her voice grew in panic and all signs of sleepiness were gone.

"You said I love you."

She was taken aback. "I thought saying I love you was a good thing."

"You said I love you Lucas." He blurted out before even thinking.

_Shit! _

"I- I was sleeping. I don't control what I say when I sleep." She wanted to reassure him about her feelings. It felt as though she owed it to him. "I love you Jake. I left Tree Hill to come to you and Jenny, I left everything behind in Tree Hill."

Jake knew that, of course he knew that. But he was always going to put Jenny first, always. His loyalty was always to his daughter. Her needs needed to be put first before his because at the end of the day his daughter would always stick by his side.

"Peyton I can't do this anymore. I don't want to be in the middle of a Lucas and Peyton triangle. And it's not just me it's Jenny too it's not fair on her."

"Jake please don't-"

"When people appear in your dreams it's not a coincidence it means you want something from them. You need to go back Peyton, back to Tree Hill."

Tears sprung into her eyes threatening to overflow. "Why?"

He could no longer stand looking at her from a far so he walked to her and placed her hand both in his. "You need to sort your feelings Peyton. And if you still want to get married I'll be here, my feeling towards you haven't changed." He wiped a tear that marked her cheek and then kissed her forehead lovingly. "I still love you Peyton."

"I love you too Jake." Peyton said in between sobs. "Do you really want me to do this?"

"I think you need to do this not for me, but for yourself. You'll regret it if you don't and that's something I can never do to another human being." He swallowed before he spoke again. "You should go soon."

She nodded sadly. "I'll leave in the morning."

"Nathan! Nathan wake up. Wake up now."

He woke up with a nudging on his shoulder. "What? What's wrong Haley? What happened?"

He rubbed his eyes and threw back the covers before he sat up.

"I think some one's in the lounge room. I woke up this morning and found someone sleeping on the sofa and then I ran back here."

Nathan smiled. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Are you insane?" She frowned at him. "There is a stranger in our apartment and you don't care? That's it what time did you sleep last night?"

Nathan kissed her on the lips. "Nothing is wrong with my brain and I slept late last night." He took her hand and led her to the lounge. Haley struggled to pull back.

"Aren't you going to use your bat? Nathan!" she whispered harshly.

"No need. Haley trust me, it's no stranger."

By the time they were down the short hallway Peyton appeared.

"Haley!"

She was completely speechless it was as if she was glued permanently on the spot. She blinked a few times before she realised Peyton was in her living room.

"Peyton?" Peyton came quickly came over to her and gave her a welcomed hug.

"I missed you so much Haley." She said desperately.

Haley embraced her like an old friend. "I've missed you too."

"I'll go make breakfast and leave the two of you to catch up." Nathan suggested. "Morning Peyton."

She laughed. "Morning Nate."

They both sat on the couch while Nathan attended to making breakfast.

"How have you been Peyton?" Haley asked.

"I've had better days, I'm glad I'm home though."

Haley dropped her voice to a whisper. "Why are you home?" She looked at her puzzled.

"It's a long story." Peyton smiled sadly. "I'm sure you have better things to do than listen."

"I have all day. Now tell me what brings you back to Tree Hill."

"Lucas." She replied. "I came back for Lucas."


End file.
